Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Where Do I Begin?

Oh my goodness. I don't even know where to begin with this pie. It was amazing! Let's see, first it's made with a vanilla wafer crust. Don't buy the premade crust for this, it's so easy to make your own and it's better and fresher. Then it's layered with bananas, homemade vanilla pudding and more vanilla wafers. The original recipe called for a meringue topping, but I opted for whipped cream!

I made this for my father-in-laws 69th birthday a couple weeks ago. We took a day trip to a small town here in Texas and ate at a kitschy cafe supposedly known for their pies. We had lunch then ordered their pie sampler complete with 4 slices of pie and 4 scoops of ice cream. As the waiter brought it out, we started singing and the whole restaurant joined in. It was completely gluttonous but the birthday boy was surprised and happy so that's all that matters.

Look at all those luscious layers!

I was afraid that my father-in-law would be "pied out" and that my little ol' homemade banana pudding pie wouldn't live up to the famous restaurants pie but it did and he wasn't! And I have to say it was much better and way cheaper than their pies. It's really hard to compare though because they didn't have any cream pies on their menu and all their pies were made with traditional pie crust. This one was creamy and dreamy, sweet but not too sweet. The crust still had great texture and the bananas stayed firm, while the wafers in the center softened. All the ingredients just complimented eachother perfectly.

This really was an excellent pie and I will definitely make this pie again. My grandpa is a banana pudding lover and I know he'd love this version too! The recipe may seem long but I broke it down in steps so it would be easier to follow. Please read the notes and the recipe before heading to the kitchen to make this. The original recipe I have was in Southern Living Best Ever Cake & Pies Magazine and it's different than the one online and it's confusing so I've done my best to make it easier for you so you'll make this pie. Like for this weekend, maybe or an upcoming birthday?

For the crust:
In a medium bowl, stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter until blended. Firmly press on bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool 30 minutes or until completely cool.For the pudding: Whisk together sugar, flour, eggs, yolks and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 10-12 minutes or until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted. It must be thick and slightly bubbly to set up properly!) Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure to press the plastic directly on top of the custard so it doesn't get a "skin" on it. Refrigerate til completely cool. (Can be made up to a day in advance.)Whipped Cream: In a medium bowl, whip cream on medium high speed til soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat til thick and stiff. Don't overbeat or you'll have butter!Assembly: Arrange half of the banana slices evenly over bottom of cooled crust. Spread 1/3 of cooled pudding over bananas, then layer with 20 vanilla wafers. Spread 1/3 more pudding over vanilla wafers, then add the remainder of the banana slices and cover them with the last of the pudding. Spread the whipped cream over the entire pie and decorate with more vanilla wafers if desired. The layers from the bottom up should be: vanilla wafer crust, bananas, pudding, vanilla wafers, pudding, bananas, pudding, whipped cream
Refrigerate at least for 4 hours. Overnight is best. Consume within 2 days. NOTE: It's best to prepare the pudding in advance to allow it to chill properly. If you prefer this pie be topped with a meringue then there's no need to refrigerate the filling. See the original recipe here.
Also I used an entire box of vanilla wafers for the pie. If you want to decorate with additional wafers then get a second box to be on the safe side.

Make me. Eat me. Be happy.

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Oh and look at the newest addition to my cake stand collection. I have an obsession but I love them and I use them all. Well, except for one but I will eventually :-) I picked this one up at an antique market after we ate lunch for my FIL's birthday. It's so pretty and I'll be using it this weekend on my Easter buffet! It's the Harp design by Jeanette Glass in Ice Blue. ::sigh::

83 comments:

I've never tried Banana Pudding Pie, but I love regular banana pudding, so I'm sure I'll love this!! This is the only way I enjoy bananas haha. I'm going to bookmark this recipe...or you could just make this for me :P.

Oh wow oh wow! It looks utterly divine. I'm drooling. Wish I could taste it. We don't have banana pudding here but I'm going to try and make it. What could I use instead of the vanilla wafers? We don't have those in the UK, nor gragham crackers either...

I have been following your blog for a while now after seeing a link to it on another blog I read. Your recipes sound DELICIOUS and there are several I want to try, but I finally had to comment to tell you that what I love most here is your AMAZING photogrpahy skills!!! I *LOVE* the pics you take of everything you make! It may be posted somewhere here and I missed it, but could you share what type of camera you have and what lens(es) you use? I am a VERY amateur photography buff and still learning so when I see great photos I want to learn all I can! Thanks!!! :-)

So this is really an ice box cake, right? It's very similar to something my mom has made us forever, but she layers buttercream frosting, graham crackers, and bananas. But the crackers get all soft and the whole thing is so good, even if it sounds a little weird. : )

Love that southern living magazine--I have made so many recipes from it and looked at this one but hadnt' tried it yet--will have to soon! And I'm i LOVE with your cake stand! they are an obsession of mine too...

Wow that pie looks amazing. I have a fascination with vanilla wafers and love them in desserts. Sadly, I haven't thought to buy and use them lately, so I might be inspired by you to break out a box and make something delicious. Monica, you are truly a great cook, so talented! Everything always looks scrumptious.

YUM! This looks amazing as always. I will probably go back to a meringue topping since I don't like whipped cream. Thanks for posting this!

Oh, and your cake plate is beautiful. Since you post them as you get new ones I've discovered I have a new appreciation for cake plates and I need to acquire some. I'm looking for the perfect fist one to start my collection. :-)

Goodness, I'm so anxious to try this recipe for my dad's bday in April. He LOVES banana pudding, so I'm sure he'll love this pie! A different touch to this pie..you could use PF short bread cookies for the crust, they are delicious with banana pudding :)

Glad you went with the whipped cream topping, sounds like the perfect touch. I bet the birthday boy was very happy :D. Have a Happy Easter, Monica! I know you'll be making something pretty and delicious :).

I have fantasized about making this very pie (though I'd love to make my own vanilla wafers). Love, LOVE, LOVE this version, Monica. Great call on the whipped cream, rather than a meringue. I would eat it like a glutton, and I would not feel any shame. Awesome, girl. You're a pro. Love the cake stand, too. Someday, I'll find one that knocks my socks off.Blessed Easter!

Hey, I'm back! :) Two things. First I need to borrow your new cake stand (love it!)and two, I just realized I didn't win your chocolate bar giveaway! I'm seriously depressed now. How will I make all that chocolate cake I have planned?~ingrid

Misc Momma- The only thing I'd worry about with leaving the topping off is that the pudding would dry out and get a "skin" on it. Maybe you could add a top layer of crushed up cookies on top to protect the pudding?

Happy Belated Bday to your father in law! I love love love banana pudding and know I could easily down several slices of this in one sitting :) I feel like banana desserts are so delicious and underrated!

I made this banana cream pie recipe and it was delicious. I made more of the crust, mostly because it seemed to need it to cover the pie pan but also b/c the crust smelled so good when I was putting it together (I used about 50 or more nilla wafers). The ingredients are all so yummy that next time, I'm going to try and make it in a taller pan so I can add in an extra layer of the nilla wafers. Mmmnnn. Thanks for sharing.

Jo Ellen, I don't remember the pudding being overwhelming in the vanilla department, but I also didn't eat the pudding by itself. If I were you, I'd go forth and assemble the pie but use your own judgement, because I'd hate for you to make this pie and be disappointed. I, however, think it's pretty amazing as is. If you forge on, I hope you like it too! Please let me know how it turns out.

Hi, fellow Texan here! I found this blog post through pinterest. I love banana pudding so I'll have to try this soon! The cake stand is gorgeous too. I can't believe I live so close to Round Top and still haven't been. I think it would be a fun day trip. Glad I found your blog!

I attempted to make this for Thanksgiving and the "vanilla pudding" came out way to watery almost. I could not get it to thicken up so I had to toss the pie. Maybe there is a better way to make it thick.

OMG so i wanted to make some banana pudding for a potluck picnic my church is having. but then i wanted to make pie... so i went to google and typed in 'banana pudding pie?' and BOOM! i found this. totally gonna make it. THANKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS LOL!

I just love banana pudding, and this pie looks wonderful! I found you on pinterest, and I'm featuring you this week as my pinterest pick at my Friday Favorites event. Come by and grab my featured button if you'd like one!

HI, I found you via this recipe on pinterest, am now a follower as well. I did a blog post about that you can find here: http://thebartonlife-est1995.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-know-its-been-forever-right.html and referenced your blog and link in it. Would love a follow back.Thanks.

Made this yesterday and it is yummy! The only problem I had was 30 crushed nilla wafers only measured out to be about 1 cup, so I crushed a bunch more to get closer to 2 1/2 cups, then when putting it in the pie plate realized I had too much! I just used the leftover crumbs to sprinkle on top of the whipped cream. Thanks for the great recipe.

I'm in the process of making this now but the pudding is really thick when cooled. I'm wondering if its supposed to be this thick or if I screwed up. I don't know how I'm going to make it pretty like you did. :(

Anonymous- I tried to comment on this earlier and my phone was giving me issues. I'm sorry for the delay. Yes, the pudding should be thick. It's much thicker than the typical boxed pudding. You didn't do anything wrong. But if you feel that it's just way too thick then you can add a little milk to the chilled pudding and whisk it until it's the consistency you want. But remember that it needs to be firm so you can slice it and it holds it's shape. You don't want pudding oozing out of your pie!

I made this for my husband's birthday. The whole family liked it very much. I had to make a few alterations, as I couldn't find vanilla wafers in the Netherlands. I used ladyfingers instead and added a bit of vanilla extract.

Pleased Belated Wedding for your daddy within legislations! I like love adore banana dessert as well as understand I possibly could quickly down a number of cuts of this in one sitting :) I am similar to blueberry sweets are so delicious as well as unappreciated!RS 2007 GoldWOW Gold Kaufenbuy blade soul gold

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Welcome To My Blog

My name is Monica and I'm a stay at home mom living in central Texas. I like to cook, but baking is my passion. I am an (obsessive) collector of cake stands, cookbooks and bakeware. I make lots of yummy treats and often share my sweet creations with friends, family and anyone else who is willing to be my guinea pig. I have lots of recipes in the archives so I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

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